Hassam Ghazali’s passion for quantum computer emulators began at a young age, when he would get a new toy, not play with it, but “take it apart and try to put it back together.” He learned to use pliers and screwdrivers at a young age and was constantly surrounded by them. By sixth grade, he had built his first remote-controlled boat, and by ninth grade, his first remote-controlled aircraft. If anything at home broke, such as appliances or bikes, Ghazali was eager to fix or modify it, a process that felt more like a hobby than work.
Recognizing this passion, he earned a degree in engineering physics in Pakistan before pursuing a Ph.D. in physics at the University of Utah. When deciding which lab to join, it was important that his lab had a strong hands-on culture. Ghazali joined the Rogachev Lab and found that students were “designing and machining their own parts for their experiments,” something that felt very applicable to him.
When funding was cut, they were forced to transition to other research. They turned to Quantum Computer Emulators, analog hardware systems that represent quantum bits with analog signals and use conventional electronics and lower-cost materials to mimic real quantum computers. What began as a “rainy day” side project soon became their central focus.
During his time in the lab, Ghazali developed the Quantum Circuit Emulator (QCE) Educational Kit. A personal battle with the abstract nature of quantum computing forced Ghazali to create a solution. The kit serves as a “breadboard for quantum circuits,” an intuitive, hands-on platform for exploring quantum circuits, much like a traditional breadboard does for teaching electronic circuits. The kit allows users to emulate quantum circuits in a classical, expanded form, making them easier to explore and understand. As Ghazali explains, it “engages your intuition,” helping learners develop a deeper grasp of quantum computing concepts through direct experimentation.
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